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TEEN DRUG COURT SET FOR GF, FARGO

N.D.  Supreme Court Justice Mary Maring Leads Drive To Curb Substance Abuse

A plan to set up juvenile drug courts in Grand Forks and Fargo is nearly complete. 

State Supreme Court Justice Mary Maring has organized a group of judges, attorneys, juvenile court officers and addiction counselors who, she said, will create an intense, community-based program designed to curb teen substance abuse in the Red River Valley's two largest cities. 

The program is designed for teens 14 to 17 years old who have committed nonviolent crimes and show signs of substance abuse, Maring said.  The teens will appear weekly before a judge, undergo intense drug screening and work with mentors to complete community service hours. 

Juvenile drug courts are modeled after adult drug courts, which have effectively lowered recidivism rates in other cities. 

"It's a tough program," Maring said.  "It involves a high level of accountability."

Maring said the program's first priority is to help teens overcome drug and alcohol abuse. 

"Our goal is to get these kids clean," she said. 

Current System

Within the current juvenile court system, Maring said, teens with drug and alcohol problems are usually placed on probation and sometimes don't see a judge for months.  More serious offenders and repeat offenders are often locked up in juvenile detention centers -- at a cost of $30,000 per year per child, courtesy of the state. 

The new program, Maring said, is a "focused team approach" designed to keep teen-agers off drugs and out of jail.  That means the courts will keep close tabs on young offenders to make sure they don't fall by the wayside during probation -- weekly meetings and drug screenings will be mandatory.  In extreme cases, the court will use electronic monitoring devices and hire professional "trackers" to follow young offenders. 

But Maring said juvenile drug courts will not help serious drug offenders stay out of jail. 

"We're not going to create a diversion program for sellers and manufacturers," she said. 

In fact, new juvenile justice laws in North Dakota automatically transfer serious drug offenders to adult court. 

Idea's Origin

Maring was introduced to juvenile drug courts two years ago, when she attended a national conference that focused on the topic.  She organized a study -- commissioned by the North Dakota Department of Education, the North Dakota Department of Health, the State's Attorney's Office, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Department of Corrections -- to determine whether the state needed such a court. 

The answer was a definite yes -- especially in Cass County, where the number of drug offenses doubled in 1998, Maring said. 

A Dec.  11 Associated Press story reported that alcohol consumption among North Dakota teens is higher than the national average, and hasn't changed in the last four years, according to Dr.  Steve McDonough, chief medical officer for the North Dakota Department of Health. 

McDonough said marijuana use is still lower than the national average but is on the rise in North Dakota. 

Findings from the department's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted last spring, show that 61 percent of the North Dakota teens surveyed had consumed alcohol within the 30 days preceding the survey -- 10 percent more than the national average. 

"Drug and alcohol use is increasing among North Dakota's youth," Maring said.  ".  .  .  I think we can do better."

Maring secured federal grant money from the Department of Justice and the U.S.  Attorney General's Office to get the programs started in Grand Forks and Fargo by spring.  And, if the programs are successful, she is going to ask the state Legislature for additional money in 2001 to start juvenile drug courts in Bismarck and Minot. 

"It's something that all four cities really want, and need" she said.